Ballot Initiatives (feat. Chris Melody Fields Figueroa)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans – "Ballot Initiatives" (feat. Chris Melody Fields Figueroa)

Release Date: December 25, 2024
Host: Allison Gill
Guest: Chris Melody Fields Figueroa, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC)

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Introduction

In the December 25, 2024 episode of The Daily Beans, host Allison Gill welcomes back Chris Melody Fields Figueroa, the Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC). The episode delves into the crucial role of ballot initiatives in shaping progressive policies, the challenges they face post-election, and the strategies needed to safeguard these initiatives against political opposition.

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Understanding Ballot Initiatives and BISC’s Role

Allison Gill kicks off the conversation by revisiting BISC's mission and previous discussions from November 20. She emphasizes the importance of ballot initiatives in implementing and protecting progressive changes at the state level.

Chris Melody Fields Figueroa explains BISC’s operational framework:

"We are sort of the special teams... supporting leaders in states and localities to run these ballot measures, whether it's research, training, or troubleshooting."
(00:24)

BISC acts as a utility player, providing comprehensive support to ensure the success of both passing and defeating ballot measures. Their work includes developing tools, sharing best practices, and facilitating collaboration among various state leaders to uphold direct democracy.

---

Post-Election Challenges: Protecting Ballot Initiatives

Allison Gill highlights the significance of defending ballot initiatives beyond election day, referencing initiatives like Ohio's Issue 1, which enshrines the right to abortion in the state constitution.

Chris Fields Figueroa underscores the ongoing efforts required to protect these measures:

"Our work doesn't start or stop on election day... ensuring the will of the people is heard."
(04:18)

She discusses the threats posed by state legislatures attempting to undermine these initiatives through legislative hurdles, such as raising signature thresholds or imposing stringent distribution requirements. Specific examples include challenges in Missouri and Arizona, where reproductive freedom measures face legal battles.

"States are pre-filing bills... trying to put up blocks to implement these initiatives."
(04:18)

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Legal Battles and the Role of the Courts

Allison Gill and Chris Fields Figueroa delve into the strategic use of the courts to defend ballot initiatives. Gill points out the importance of judicial support in maintaining the integrity of voter-approved measures.

"Voting for or defeating these initiatives is not the end of the effort... you have developed a tool that you can use to fight on with."
(07:44)

Fields Figueroa elaborates on the proactive lawsuits filed by organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood in Missouri, which aim to ensure the implementation of reproductive freedom measures despite opposition from businesses seeking to block minimum wage increases and paid leave initiatives.

"The courts are going to play a really critical role in the coming years."
(04:18)

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Navigating State-Level Obstacles

The discussion shifts to the specific tactics employed by states like Ohio and Florida to complicate the ballot initiative process. Gill references Ohio’s attempt to impose a 60% threshold for passing initiatives, which ultimately failed due to voter resistance.

Fields Figueroa reflects on Florida's efforts to intimidate voters and manipulate ballot measures:

"Voters have rejected every attempt when it's put before them to lessen their power through direct democracy."
(16:34)

She emphasizes the importance of clear and accurate ballot language, as seen in Ohio, where confusing language nearly derailed a pro-gerrymandering measure by misleading voters about its true intent.

"The language made people think the issue would create gerrymandering when it was doing literally the exact opposite."
(16:34)

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Strategies for Voter Engagement and Protection

Allison Gill offers actionable advice for listeners to support ballot initiatives:

1. Pick an Initiative: Focus on a specific measure to defend or oppose.
2. Support Organizations: Back groups like ELPAC, Lambda Legal, Human Rights Campaign, Democracy Docket, and BISC.
3. Local Engagement: Participate in community meetings and support local advocacy groups.

"Pick a particular initiative and follow it through to the end."
(21:46)

Fields Figueroa encourages deep involvement in understanding the technical aspects of ballot measures, such as rulemaking and legislative authority, to effectively combat attempts to undermine initiatives.

"We need to know all of this. So I agree with you. Pick a particular initiative and follow it through to the end."
(21:46)

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Future Directions and Hope for Progressive Movements

Looking ahead, Fields Figueroa shares BISC’s plans to support a broad range of ballot measures, including those related to housing, gender-affirming care, reproductive freedom, and the care economy. She emphasizes the power of ballot initiatives as "love letters to our communities," fostering safety, belonging, joy, and care.

"Ballot measures really are one of those tools to counter the really harmful things... BISC is committed to providing an alternative to this harmful agenda."
(24:28)

Allison Gill likens the strategic approach to tackling large-scale problems by focusing on local, manageable initiatives that collectively build towards a desired national vision.

"If everybody's doing it all over the place, then we build the future that we want from the bottom up and the middle out."
(27:53)

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Conclusion

Allison Gill wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of grassroots action and sustained engagement to protect and advance progressive ballot initiatives. She encourages listeners to support BISC and other advocacy organizations, emphasizing that every small effort contributes to the broader fight for social justice and political equity.

Chris Melody Fields Figueroa provides resources for listeners to get involved:

"Ballot.org is our website. You can find a lot of different information there."
(28:13)

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Notable Quotes

• Chris Melody Fields Figueroa:
  "We are sort of the special teams... supporting leaders in states and localities to run these ballot measures, whether it's research, training, or troubleshooting."
  (00:24)

• Chris Melody Fields Figueroa:
  "Our work doesn't start or stop on election day... ensuring the will of the people is heard."
  (04:18)

• Allison Gill:
  "Voting for or defeating these initiatives is not the end of the effort... you have developed a tool that you can use to fight on with."
  (07:44)

• Chris Melody Fields Figueroa:
  "Voters have rejected every attempt when it's put before them to lessen their power through direct democracy."
  (16:34)

• Allison Gill:
  "If everybody's doing it all over the place, then we build the future that we want from the bottom up and the middle out."
  (27:53)

---

Resources and Support

• Ballot Initiative Strategy Center: ballot.org
• Follow BISC on Social Media: Social Media Links
• Support Organizations: ELPAC, Lambda Legal, Human Rights Campaign, Democracy Docket

---

The Daily Beans continues to empower listeners with critical insights and actionable strategies to engage in the democratic process, ensuring that the voices of the people remain at the forefront of policy-making.

Transcript

[Allison Gill]

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[Allison Gill]

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[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

News we're swearing Daily Beans. Daily Beans.

[Allison Gill]

Hello and welcome to the Daily Beans. I'm your host, Allison Gill. As you know, I have all fresh, cool content for you this week, even though we're not doing the breaking news. But I wanted to bring back our good friend, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. We had her on November 20 and talked about the bright spots in the election with ballot initiatives and things that passed in states. And now we're going to talk a little bit about what it's like to protect those initiatives now that we voted for them and or against them, depending on the disposition of the initiative and of course, going forward, the importance of the work of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. So please welcome the executive director, Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo. Hi, Chris, how are you?

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

I am doing all right.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

How are you doing?

[Allison Gill]

Hanging in there. I'm hanging in there. I'm slowly, piece by piece, putting my armor on for the battle for the next four years, reluctantly, sometimes with a very big pout, pouty face, because I can't believe we're here and we have to do this again for four years. But in the fight, staying in the fight. And that's why I wanted to have you back on, because of the fight that y'all put up at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. So talk to me a little bit about, because, you know, we went over the wins that we had and you know, we're talking about ballot initiatives on state ballots, right?

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Now, let's talk a little bit about. Well, I mean, let's open up for folks who didn't hear the last interview about what BISC does.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

So we are, the way I like to describe us is, you know, if you watch American football, we're sort of the special teams, we come in for specific plays, but really sort of like this utility player to support the leaders in states, in localities to run these ballot measures, whether it's research, whether it's training, whether it's literally just getting on the phone and troubleshooting a problem and answering questions, developing tools and resources, you know, really soup to nuts to make sure that the leaders have the tools and the information to run Transformative ballot measures. Sometimes we want to win them and sometimes we want to defeat them. And so, you know, part of our role is also sort of sharing best practices and learnings across the country because there's just so many great leaders in different states that, you know, have really, you know, great experiences and understanding of what it takes to win or defeat one of these measures.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And I've been talking for a while now, since the election, about the way to fight back against this incoming administration. And one of the best ways that we can do that is through the courts, through lawsuits. That's why the ballot initiatives were so important, because now we put in place things like issue one in Ohio that enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution so that when more things happen, we have a tool in our toolbox, little arrow in our quiver to sue and block and delay and throw sand in the gears and sabotage and be a pain in the ass. So let's talk a little bit about some of these ballot initiatives now that we've, you know, you spearheaded this work and the voters have gone out and they've done all this work on the ground, grassroots work, and we've passed or defeated these ballot measures. Now how do we protect these decisions going forward?

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

It's so critical. You know, we always say that our work doesn't start or stop on election day. It's what actually comes next that is going to ensure that the will of the people is heard. And so everyone who went out this year and gathered signatures to put issues on the ballot that voted for these issues, now here it is, here it is your opportunity to make sure that these wins are protected. You know, right now a lot of states are pre filing bills. We're ready to see what states like in Missouri or in Arizona that passed reproductive freedom bout measures, whether they are going to try to put up blocks to implement these bout initiatives, also going after the process itself. And we've seen this over the last several years as the people have galvanized. And one issues like raising the minimum wage, like reproductive freedom, like paid leave. And then other issues, we have seen state legislatures go and try to increase the threshold like they did in Ohio right in 2023, or create very specific geographic distribution requirements, raise the amount of signatures that you have to gather. It's already, you know, in many states, a really steep hill to climb to get that issue on the ballot. And so we're ready to see, we're ready to work with our state partners and the coalitions in the states to defend direct Democracy. And you know, one thing, I can't remember if we talked about it on November 20th because that feels like at least a lifetime ago. You know, voters actually had issues on the ballot to change the process in their states in Arizona and North Dakota and they rejected those. So that's part of the work moving forward. We've already started to see lawsuits actually. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood in Missouri have filed their own proactive lawsuit to make sure the state implements the reproductive freedom measures. Some businesses in Missouri have filed a lawsuit to stop the implementation of raising the minimum wage and paid leave. So that's what we're already expecting as well as some lawsuits. And the role that the court, like you just mentioned, the courts are going to play a really critical role in the coming years. And so that means it's both an opportunity and in a defensive posture for us too, depending on the makeup of those state, those state courts. I mean, I think what is as frustrating as it is in states where these issues pass overwhelming. Right. You're talking about 57, 58, some up to 72%. It's going to make it a lot harder for these state legislators and these courts to undermine the will of the people because so many of these are so, so, so popular. But I think the moral of that, you know, or what folks need to take away from it is the work isn't done. If anything, we need to redouble our efforts to make sure that state legislatures or the courts don't undermine the will of the people.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, I mean there's always that. You never know what kind of judge you're going to get unless you're going specifically to jurisdictions like Republicans like to do with the Northern District of Texas.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Uh huh.

[Allison Gill]

But you're so right. Voting for or defeating these initiatives is not the end of the effort. It is. You have simply now developed a tool that you can use to fight on with. And so let's talk about, you know, you mentioned a couple of specific cases, but I know like in Ohio, part of the lawsuit that was, you know, brought by some Republican group and backed by Mike DeWine and he might even be on there. I don't, I don't remember, I don't remember the details. But you know, part of it got thrown out because the, the voters voted.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

For those of the same constitution. Yep.

[Allison Gill]

But he wants to keep these other little things like the 48 hour waiting period, 24 hour waiting period, gotta have a three foot wide hallway. You need to have a dot like all these little things that they've been trying to pull since Roe's been around to get around our freedoms. And so now let's talk a little bit about maybe some of the other ballot initiatives that BISC is working to protect because later I want to talk about how we're going to change the actual processes for ballot initiatives in states. But let's talk about some of the issues that we, that were the bright spots that, that you're also working on defending.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Yeah, I mean, I think the, the seven states that pass reproductive freedom, unless it's like a state like Maryland, they are going to face implementation challenges. And that is why it's so important for folks to go to those committee hearings, to continue to talk to their state legislators, to talk to their governors, attorney generals. Because this is the key part right now as we move into 2025, we have to make sure that the will of the people, what they intended, actually moves forward. And this is actually something that happens quite often. A number of years ago in Florida in 2018, when they passed restoring voting rights for returning citizens, this is exactly what the state legislature started to do. Oh, well, you have to pay all your fines and fees. Oh, well, you have to do this. Oh, well, you have to do this before you get your voting rights restored. And so it is so incredibly important right now for folks to be involved and look up who has sort of the governing power, who has the authority, whether it's reproductive freedom, whether it's paid leave. I'm thinking about, you know, I live in Washington, D.C. we passed Initiative 83, which is open primaries in ranked choice voting. There's already threats to not fund that program. Right. And so it's really up to us to be, to do that due diligence. You know, think about the states like Kentucky or Colorado or Nebraska that successfully stopped the school vouchers. You still are going to have to make sure teachers, you're still going to have to make sure to talk to your representatives, to talk to, you know, the state Department of Education, especially as we are coming into the Trump administration. Right. To sure what the voters intended, which was to protect our public schools happens. So, you know, that is part of the work in the next couple of months to make sure that the will of the people is heard. And you know, if you're a nerd like me, this is, you know, we think so much about our democracy really when it comes to elections and voting, but there's so many other pieces of our democracy and civic engagement that are incredibly important for people to be involved in. It's Those letters, it's those community meetings. It's going to write, the going to those school board meetings. It's your public utility. Whatever it is, it's going to be really critical. Critical, especially in 2025, for us to use our voices to make sure that what we just passed, whether you're in Missouri, Arizona, you know, Kentucky, Ohio, unfortunately we just seen it did not pass in Ohio. But wherever, you know, California, Washington state, wherever you are, make sure that what you voted on, especially through these measures, is carried through.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And I know I hear a lot of kind of exasperation. Well, it's just going to end up at this Supreme Court. But, you know, I do want to remind everyone that it was this Supreme Court that decided the states needed to make the decisions for probably a great many things, not just abortion care.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

So kind of keep that in the back of your head. And again, I wouldn't put it past them to change their minds again. But they very recently said that we're ripping this right away from you because we're going to let the states decide.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

And it's our opportunity to call their bluff.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

You said this is what you said, Right. This is not. This is for the states that decides, right?

[Allison Gill]

Yep.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

And so it's our opportunity to call their bluff, to call into question if they are, you know, if courts are meddling with and, you know, if anything ultimately makes it to this state, you know, the United States Supreme Court. It is just so incredibly important right now for us to, I understand people are still, you know, licking their wounds and you should be taking a pause in a deep breath. But next year, the work, this, the real work begins.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And, and honestly, if you do get some, the case like this up to the Supreme Court and they go back on something that they said very recently that helps open the door to more widely publicized criticism of the court, which, you know, doesn't necessarily move them one way or another, but it, it really does help to mobilize. So it's just something we have to think of. All right, I have another couple questions for you, but we have to take a quick break, so everybody stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

We'll be right back.

[Allison Gill]

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[Allison Gill]

Hey everybody, welcome back. We're talking to the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, Chris Melody Fields Figueroa. Chris, a question for you because like I want to talk about, and you mentioned this briefly in the first segment, you talked about not just initiatives to like legalize weed or stop a repeal of a climate change act like they did in Washington State, or enshrine abortion into the Constitution or enshrine privacy rights into the Constitution or or gender equity stuff like that, but also process initiatives like they did in Ohio where the Republicans wanted to come in and raise the threshold to 60% and all that other stuff because I noticed in Florida overwhelming vote to enshrine abortion into the Constitution with 57%, but because Florida has a 60% threshold. The kind of bullshit that Ohio was trying to get past and failed because they couldn't pull the wool over the people's eyes anymore. What do we do in A state like Florida or any other state that has made it impossible for our voices to be heard and for ballot initiatives to get passed and for asking for unreasonable amounts of signatures or not verifying signatures that are verifiable. Like what kinds of ballot, like how do you get a ballot measure to change a ballot measure?

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Well, I mean, they literally did it this year in Arizona and North Dakota. There were three measures, two in Arizona, one in North Dakota. Ballot measures. About ballot measures, right. Trying to make it harder for citizens to put issues on the ballot or pass them. And I think, you know, this is sort of the hope, the hopeful part is in the last several years, almost every single time, except for one time, and it was something that was really technical and I think it was just really hard for voters to understand. Voters have rejected every attempt when it's put before them to lessen their power through direct democracy. So I think that is something important for us to keep in our minds. Like, we know this, we've seen it in our own research. We've seen it when we talk to our partners and talk to voters. They like ballot measures. They see their power and agency. They actually trust themselves way more than elected officials right now. So they don't want to lose this tool. So this is something that we know they are going to try in state legislative sessions. We know this is going to happen in states like Ohio and Missouri and the Dakotas and Arizona and Utah state, Oklahoma, these states that have been incredibly hostile to the citizen led process. We know they're going to try to raise the threshold. We know that they're going to try to increase signature gathering requirements. And so this is important time for folks to be engaged with state based organizations that are going to fight these efforts. And if they do like they did in Ohio, make it to the ballot, we're going to fight back. And they're going to try to do it in state primaries, they're going to try to do it in elections where they think that there will be low turnout. But what we have seen in Ohio is such a great example of this is people are not buying what they're selling. And so the work of advocates is to connect the dots, right? Why are they trying to do this? That's why it was so successful to fight back in Ohio. Because people are like, oh, you're doing this because you're trying to do this behind closed doors and you're trying to sneak this around us. Because we want abortion, we want to put reproductive rights in our state constitution. So that's going to be incredibly important. Also, you know, there's going to be things like, you know, one of the reasons that redistricting was not successful in Ohio is the ballot language. And so that's going to. I mean, people were confused. I talked to folks in Ohio because of the way they wrote the language. It made people think that the issue, one that was in on the November ballot, would create gerrymandering when it was doing literally the exact opposite of that. So that. That's going to be something really important for people to pay attention to in the coming months. You know, what they did in Florida around, you know, intimidating voters and going to people who, you know, sign petitions, you better believe they're going to try to do that in other states because it was a successful intimidation factor in Florida. And so I don't want people to be scared or, you know, think that there isn't an opportunity to fight back. I would say actually, no, this is actually a galvanizing moment for us because, you know, we have been so successful to be able to fight back on these attempts at divine our voices.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, yeah. I remember that the Republicans in Ohio tried to sneak it in to an August special. An August special election, which the Republicans banned earlier because they thought it was a sneaky way to do stuff.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

And.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, and it blows my mind because when you're the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court says, look, we're gonna rip your rights away and kick it back to the states, and then the state says, okay, it's up to us, but you have to get 60% of the vote to do anything. It's obvious what they're doing. And I think you're right. That obviousness, the sending police to knock on people's doors to ask them if they signed a petition to put a ballot measure on for abortion rights in the state, that intimidation factor, we're going to see it, like you said. But that's the kind of stuff that I think people can galvanize around. So let's talk about what people can do. People who are listening. What can I do? What can I do? I have a couple of suggestions, and I would like your thoughts here. First of all, pick an initiative and defend it, like, or, you know, oppose it, whatever. You know, support the correct position.

[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Allison Gill]

Whether it's to ensure the language is correct and understandable. As, as we saw in the Ohio gerrymandering, that it was definitely not. Whether you're fighting to get it on the ballot, get signatures for it. Like, maybe it's. It's. It's Already been voted for. And you want to make sure that it stays, it does its job, that it wants to do. What are your, what are your thoughts on that? I think pick, pick an initiative.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

And I mean, I totally agree. I mean, you know, in a number of states, you know, several issues passed at the ballot or there might be just the one. Right. That, that's really incredibly important. So, yes, pick one. Put all your heart and energy into it. Learn, I mean, learn the technical rulemaking. I mean, this is like we need to understand every tool in our toolbox, especially in the years ahead. I've been saying for a while that we didn't have to wait for the Trump administration 2.0. We actually had examples of authoritarianism already in my home state of Texas, in states like Florida, Kentucky, name it. So we really need to know all the technicalities, whether it's the rulemaking, who has legislative authority, who has, who has, you know, what committees. Like, you need to know all of it. We need to learn all of this. So I agree with you. Pick, pick a particular initiative and follow it through to the end.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, love it. Here's my other idea is to support organizations like elpac, Lambda Legal, Human Rights Campaign, Democracy Docket, Ballot Initiative Strategy center, to, to ensure that, that the legal folks and the technical people have the funding they need to fight these battles as well. So that's my other recommendation. Support these orgs and then pick an initiative.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Absolutely. And not just the legal organization. I would say a lot of the organizing and base building groups that are in your home states. The Ohio organizing obviously in Ohio, the Luchas, the, in Arizona, the Missouri Jobs with Justice. I mean, these local base building organizations are going to be so critical in the fight ahead because they are connected to the members of their community and are trying to keep them civically engaged beyond an election.

[Allison Gill]

Local aclu. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That's the thing, right. Everybody's like, feels kind of helpless, like, what can I do? And so I always kind of like to, in each interview, interview or every show, try to be like, here's something, here's one thing that's totally doable that I, that I think can, can have an impact. All right, so let's, before we go, let's look into the future and look at sort of what kind of work that the Ballot Initiative Strategy center is going to be doing down the road and why it's important to support your org.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

So I think in a time where, you know, we know at the start of the year, the Trump administration is going to throw everything, and they're going to try to keep us distracted and pull us in many different directions. We know that we've been through it once, we're going to do everything possible to fight again. But I think ballot measures really have an opportunity for all of us to be a counter and have the vision of the future that we want and deserve. We are already talking to organizations about housing ballot measures. We're already talking to organizations about gender protecting, gender affirming, care. We're already talking to folks about more reproductive freedom, ballot measures, equality measures, you know, more issues around thinking about the care economy. So there is an opportunity for us, you know, in the next couple of years to use the people's tool to create and show an altered alternative vision for the United States for our, where we live, our homes, whether it's, you know, our cities or our states. We have this opportunity because this is the citizens tool. So we, we have this opportunity to have a counter narrative from the ugly stuff we will see like that. We will see ugly things like, there's no question about that. But I think people need hope, they need to see a vision forward. They need to see a path forward forward. And bowel measures really are one of those tools to counter the really harmful thing, and that's what BISC is committed to, is to provide an alternative to this harmful agenda, to Project 2025 that we will see across the country.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Because I think of it like if you've ever watched an episode of Hoarders and they go into the house for the first time and see the throngs of, you know, stuff that's being hoarded, and your first thought is, where do you even start with something like that? I think that when people try to fix the United States as a whole from the top down, it's so intimidating and you don't know where to start. So go to a tiny little room in a tiny little corner and do one thing at a time. And that's what ballot initiatives are in your local communities, your states and your cities and your municipalities.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Absolutely. The sort of charge that I've given to our partners is to make bowel measures love letters to our people. And I think that's so important in the year always, but definitely in the years ahead. People want to feel safe, they want to feel like they belong, they want to feel joy and they want to feel cared for. And so when we think of it as a love letter to our communities. Right. Those are the things at the center that I think all of us seek and so that provides us a different framework to approach these issues. To do it either at our city level, our county level, statewide. And that's going to be that is so incredibly important for people to think about the next couple years.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And if we're doing it on a small scale, we get those wins. It feels good. The work feels good momentum. And if everybody's doing it all over the place, then we build the future that we want from the bottom up and the middle out. Because trickle down futures don't work.

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

Absolutely. It's always, it's always starts from the bottom up. That's how, that's how movements are built and that is the type of organization that biscuits. We are supporting movements across the country to build the world that we deserve.

[Allison Gill]

Well, I love it and I appreciate the work you're doing. Chris, can you tell everybody where to find and support your organization?

[Chris Melody Fields Figueiredo]

So ballot.org is our website. You can find a lot of different information there. We have the bowel measure hub and then on the socials allot strategy.

[Allison Gill]

Thank you so much and thanks everybody to Listening to the Daily Beans. I hope you're having a great holiday week and we will be back in your ears either tomorrow or Monday, depending on what day you're hearing this. I'm not quite sure what the release dates are for these individual shows, but we will be back at your ears very soon. And until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. I've been AG and them's the beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information please Visit mswmedia.com msw media.